Getting emotional: #tHEARTofResearch

It’s been an incredible week, getting emotional about research! Thanks to all the awesome people at The University of South Africa for getting creative and engaging the public through #tHEARTofResearch. Could your research create more impact if more people knew about it? #tHEARTofResearch is a mentorship programme for PhD and Masters science researchers to unleash their creativity and get their work noticed. Engaging audiences outside academia is critical for increasing the uptake and the impact of research. While this can be daunting at first, strategies and...

Engaging (with) power at the Popular Edu...

Inspired… is what you get when you put 80 activists, educators and researchers from 15 countries together on a community-managed olive farm in the Western Cape. Rich stories together with lively (and often challenging) interactions among the diverse participants created space for exploring issues of power at the 8th International Popular Education Network (PEN2018) conference at Goedgedacht in the Western Cape. Jive Media Africa Directors, Hilary Kromberg and Robert Inglis had the opportunity to share experiences related to the theme of the conference...

Justice through Media Training

The complexity of legal processes can sometimes make them difficult for the general public to understand. Yet, on a daily basis, legal cases are heard and decided upon with dramatic impacts on the lives of many people. Legal experts at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) at the University of Witwatersrand work alongside marginalised individuals and communities as they navigate the justice system. Jive Media Africa is working closely with CALS  to enhance the impact of their work by training them in media and public engagement. The participants of the training,...

African Science, Global Platform

FameLab SA winner, Emmie Chiyindiko from the University of the Free State, put South African science on a global platform when she spent the week at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, ahead of the FameLab International finals.  The science-filled week began with a science communication training session with head FameLab trainer, Malcolm Love before participants took to the stage to share their research. Malaysia’s Siti Khayriyyah Binti Mohd Hanafiah became the 2018 FameLab International Champion – taking the prize from reigning champions, South...

The science of storytelling: PCST 2018

Stories simplify communication. Through emotional connection and simple language, stories can make complex information relatable – resulting in dialogue and transformation. To share experiences in storytelling and to gain insight from other communicators and researchers, Jive Media Africa presented a number of papers at the Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference 2018 which took place in Dunedin, New Zealand. Jive Media Africa’s work in this area includes comics, music and film among others, bringing researchers and the public together through...

Put your audience in the picture: Why co...

Reaching large audiences with important information is a challenge faced by many government departments. Carefully considered policies can fail at implementation if key audiences remain disengaged. This was the difficulty faced by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs when engaging stakeholders about the Biodiversity Economy. The Biodiversity Economy presents opportunities for people to improve their lives and create wealth from nature, whilst ensuring its sustainability for future generations. The DEA recognised the power of storytelling through comics and...

Pioneering work in community engagement

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) lives the spirit of ‘engaged research’ at their Sweetwaters office in kwaMpumuza, South Africa. Jive Media Africa is proud to have produced a film that showcases the HSRC’s Sweetwaters site. Here, in the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal, the HSRC undertakes ground-breaking research and society-led development efforts from within the Mpumuza community. The film serves as a communication tool which the HSRC can use to help them share their experiences and learnings with the wider research community. “Thanks Jive Media! It was a lot...

Amazwi Ethu – Speaking Back – Community ...

Community Engagement is a key aspect of the work of the Human Sciences Research Council’s Sweetwaters office. The research centre is situated in the peri-urban Vulindlela District and undertakes social science research on a range of issues affecting local communities. The learnings from these communities can be further shared and applied in other settings. In order to better understand the needs of this community, the HSRC Sweetwaters office embarked on a photovoice project. Photovoice is a participatory action research strategy primarily used...